The present invention relates to a graph displaying apparatus for displaying an analysis subject having a plurality of information parameters, in graphic representation, and more particularly to techniques to be effectively applied to a graph displaying apparatus for displaying an analysis subject having a plurality of information parameters regarding business management, in 3-D (dimension) graphic representation.
Conventionally, the values of a plurality of information parameters of an analysis subject, a plurality of information parameters defining correlation between analysis subjects, and a change ratio of a current value to a past reference value of each information parameter, have been grasped and confirmed by using a 2-D matrix. The information parameter defining the degree of affiliation between analysis subjects has been grasped and confirmed by using another 2-D matrix different from the above-mentioned 2-D matrix.
A 3-D graph displaying apparatus and its storage medium are described in JP-A-10-111950, in which data of display subjects and 3-D data collected for each common item designated by a display attribute are generated to provide a display of 3-D representation and make it easy to visually confirm the correlation between display subjects.
A graphic display method is described in JP-A-11-39128, in which a plurality of optional information parameters are displayed in predetermined shapes to make it easy to compare and evaluate the information parameters through visual grasp and recognition.
According to the conventional techniques, of a plurality of information parameters of an analysis subject, correlation between optional two information parameters is grasped and confirmed by representing the parameter values as numerical values of a 2-D matrix. It is therefore difficult to visually grasp and confirm the correlation. This is also the same for the case that information parameters of an analysis subject are grasped in connection with a change ratio of a current value to a past reference value of each parameter.
It is possible to use a 2-D matrix for disassembling an analysis subject collection having information parameters into a plurality of analysis subjects constituting the collection or for assembling a plurality of constituent analysis subjects into an analysis subject collection. However, since numerical values are used for disassemble and assemble, it is difficult to visually grasp and confirm. It is also difficult to grasp and confirm at the same time the information parameter defining an affiliation degree of analysis subjects.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems and provide techniques capable of visually and collectively grasping and confirming correlation between information parameters of analysis subjects, a change (increase/decrease) in a particular information parameter, a relative position of each analysis subject belonging to an analysis subject collection, an influence degree of a particular information parameter of each analysis subject upon the analysis subject collection.
According to the present invention, a graph displaying apparatus for displaying as an analysis subject a collection of a plurality of constituent members each having a plurality of information parameters, provides a display of graphic representation, in the same coordinate space, of information parameters of each analysis subject, an information parameter defining the affiliation degree between analysis subjects, a change ratio of a current value to a past reference value of each information parameter, and disassembled or assembled information parameters.
The graph displaying apparatus of the invention first assigns each information parameter of a constituent member constituting a collection to display attributes such as graph display coordinate values, the shape, size, color and the like of each display element. The value of each information parameter of each constituent member is converted into a value of the assigned display attribute through proper scaling, and thereafter, the information parameter of each constituent member is displayed by using the converted display attribute value.
In displaying affiliation between constituent members, the value of each information parameter defining the affiliation between constituent members is converted into the display attribute value of a display element which couples display elements of the constituent members, and the affiliation between the constituent members is displayed by using the converted display attribute value.
In displaying a change in a particular information parameter of each constituent member, the display attribute value corresponding to the information parameter is changed in accordance with a change in the particular information parameter, and the information parameter change is displayed by using the changed display attribute value.
In displaying constituent members by disassembling a collection or in displaying a collection by assembling constituent members, the value of each information parameter of each constituent member at a corresponding disassemble/assemble hierarchical level is converted into a value of the assigned display attribute, and the information parameter of each constituent member is displayed by using the converted display attribute values.
As above, the graph displaying apparatus of this invention provides a display of graphic representation, in the same coordinate space, of information parameters of each analysis subject, an information parameter defining the affiliation degree between analysis subjects, a change ratio of a current value to a past reference value of each information parameter, and disassembled or assembled information parameters. It is therefore possible to visually and collectively grasp and confirm correlation between information parameters of analysis subjects, a change in a particular information parameter, a relative position of each analysis subject belonging to an analysis subject collection, an influence degree of a particular information parameter of each analysis subject upon the analysis subject collection.